1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to apparatus and methods for the support of surface structures. More specifically, the present invention relates to improved foundation footings, which provide for minimally intrusive foundation systems.
2. State of the Art
The construction of surface structures invariably involves the preliminary task of building a foundation to support the structure. Most foundations prepared in current practice are comprised of a wall, and a load-bearing base known as a footing. The footing is site poured with a cementitious material into an excavation substantially below grade. The excavation provides for the footing to be founded on competent bearing soils beneath regional frost lines. Once cured, forming boards and a grid of internal reinforcing are constructed on top of the footing, allowing for the subsequent pouring of a cementitious material to form a wall rising out of the excavation to a desired height above grade.
The impetus to install foundations that have minimal environmental impact has become prevalent in many areas. The effects of site manipulation on undisturbed soil are permanent and not restricted to the individual sites on which they occur. “Improving” a site with the use of large machinery, extensive excavation and fill techniques, and the altering of drainage patterns and water tables damages the biological make up, structural integrity, and pre-existing drainage characteristics of the site, the soil, and the surroundings. This in turn can have damaging effects “downstream”, where the accumulation of unwanted eroded material in streambeds can alter plant and animal habitats. Man-made systems designed to replace the storage and filtering function of previously undisturbed soils by capturing unwanted drain waters and releasing them slowly back to stream systems can starve the watershed of historic flow patterns, again causing damage to the environment and water quality.
Innovation in foundation design and construction must consider not only low environmental impact, but also economical construction, which is adaptable to the widest possible range of architectural typologies. For low impact construction systems to have significant effects toward improving the environment, and ensuring the sustainability of our population and its building techniques, their use must be widespread and quickly adoptable into the mainstream of current development practices.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,039,256, discloses systems that rectify many of the environmental problems discussed above. The disclosure of U.S. Pat. No. 5,039,256 is hereby incorporated by reference.